I left my heart in Puraran Beach

This trip was one of those “oh, there’s a seat sale, let’s go” kind of trip. I have a lot of those, apparently. The difference with this one, however, is that it’s the first time I’m going to Puraran. Actually, it’s the first time I ever set foot on the island of Catanduanes.

Catanduanes is an island found in the Bicol region. It is accessible by plane and, if you’re up for a long drive from Manila to Legazpi, a ferry boat from Albay.
For more information about the island, check out this wiki page.

We went by plane and arrived at Virac around 6am, rode a tricycle to the Baras jeepney terminal. We decided to have breakfast at the seaside restaurant first, called Seabreeze Restaurant.

Good morning, Virac! The view from our table/cottage at Seabreeze restaurant.

There’s always a jeep waiting for passengers going to Baras. The jeepney ride took about an hour, with picturesque seascapes and green fields. When we got to Baras town center, it took another fifteen minutes of tricycle ride to get to Puraran beach resort. A bumpy, winding, and steep tricycle ride. But it was sooooo worth it.

I love the beach. But Puraran Beach is by far the most beautiful, peaceful, and simply relaxing beach I’ve ever been on. I never wanted to leave. Seriously loved it so much that I want to go back there right now, at this moment I’m writing this. But because of schedule and budget constraints, I’ll have to settle on dreaming/planning to go back there next year. For about two weeks or more.

We stayed at a cottage in Puraran Beach Resort. Very basic, just a fan, no aircon, no television. Toilet and bath is very, very basic but since we’re not picky, it’s alright. Phone networks throughout the place are very spotty. I have to say, it’s not recommended for people who are used to the finer things in life, but if you’re okay with a bed and blankets, a roof over your head, and a basic bathroom, you’ll do just fine.

Food-wise, it’s a take-what-I-give-you-and-like-it kind of place. But boy, will you like it. The cook, who is also the owner, only cooks when you say you’re ready to eat so your food is guaranteed hot and fresh.

To give you an idea what you can do there, here’s how our four days looked like.

Day 1: Arrived around 11am, had lunch, slept on the beach, walked from end to end, had drink, had dinner, slept

Day 2: Had breakfast, slept on the beach, had lunch, started building an epic bonfire, had drinks, got the bonfire going, drink by the bonfire and chatted with the other guests, had dinner, slept

Day 3: Had breakfast, slept on the beach, had lunch, slept on the beach, had dinner, sleep

Day 4: Had breakfast, lounged around, left for Virac for the next day’s early flight, late lunch at Virac, lounged on the seaside resto, walked around, had dinner, slept

Okay, so we really didn’t do much. But it was a REAL vacation where we pretty much slept on the beach all the time. And when night came, we slept early. Especially when heavy rains and wind knocked the power out on the afternoon of our second day and only came back the next night. Come to think of it, it’s the first time in years (yes, years) that I’ve slept as early as 8pm. Of course, I always wake up around 1 or 2am probably due to sleep saturation, but I always go back to sleep after about an hour because there’s nothing else to do.

(Our “bright idea” in this trip: maybe that’s why people who live in those places have lots of kids. There’s simply nothing to do from 8pm to 6am. Everyday.)

And because I got nothing more to say, I’ll just let the pictures do the talking.

Yes. We did this everyday we were there.The view from our cottage door. Oh, to wake up to this every morning!His name is Luma but we called him Wanda (don’t ask). He follows us around and guards us from other dogs and random people. He also sleeps by our cottage door at night. Very sweet.A big ass bonfire perfectly timed when electricity conked out on the second night.

Some notes:

1. Puraran is a surf spot. A lot of people go here especially during June-August to surf. There are groups that offer board rentals and surfing lessons.

2. We chose to just sleep a most of the time, but there are some activities that you can do there. A lot, actually. You can rent motorcycles to roam around the island or go snorkeling around the nearby islets. The resorts in the area offer these activities.